Our inaugural poet laureate, Naomi Beth Wakan, now retired, is still writing, still nurturing other writers. I’m here discussing her recent book, “Write Away! prompts for a healthy life”
This book is for all of us when we wish to contribute to the mental health of our community and family. Or even when we feel anxious about the state of our world.
Naomi has facilitated many workshops on our island, and “Write Away!” is a selection of the exercises she has offered over the years. Being human is important in this money dominated society where highly regarded news papers put the economy on the front page where the bleeds lead, and her exercises helped lead her students towards expressing their humanity.
War and economics seem to define us, while struggling to find a home, a job and take care of the family is mentioned in between. At least there are columnists who write about domestic survival.
The word health in Naomi's vocabulary "has not much to do with illness. It has more to do with a state of mind that is positive."
The chapter on "Role Models" talks about inspiration from other humans, worthy of admiration. The first item of mental health is choosing new parents in your imagination (imagination is one of the best things you own regardless of the GDP.) This thought is immediately uplifting not because our own parents are not loved, but because we didn't choose them (although there is a spiritual belief that we did before we were conceived). This exercise allows the imagination to think about who we are and the important need for love and care. An essential place to start.
Then Wakan advises that you choose an animal spirit - bird, fish or mammal as a spirit of support. Connecting to nature is not just new-age but human minds clearly need to identify with the living world. Climate change is the thing that demands our attention. Who are we? What are we doing here?
Then follow 23 exercises to get your juices going - all of which are about your life, your place, your heart and your head. To engage in these exercises means you can have a break from doom scrolling, to focus on your creative spirit, to investigate who you are. The News is not interested in your potential. Statistics hardly inspire you. Facts do not love you but they are important to know.
This book contains 72 writing exercises in all, that you can do by yourself or with a friend. It's a lightweight paperback of 109 pages you can carry in your handbag or glove compartment.
With the threat of fascism returning, getting to know ourselves better can make us less judgmental and save us from the oligarchs afraid of losing their power and so use it to make us feel powerless, as Tommy Douglas warned back in the thirties.
We are a part of the world that holds up the sky, along with the deer and the birds. For those of you choosing to express yourself by the written word, Wakan’s “Write Away! can only help you get closer to yourself and, by extension, to the world we are so intimately part of.
Write Away! prompts for a healthy life is available at Page’s Resort bookstore,
mail@pagesresort.com. 250-247-8931
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